Alcohol and Sex: the Connection

Nov. 3, 2006 — -- Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley has decided to extend his stay at Sierra Tucson, a rehab center outside Tucson, Ariz., where he has been treated for alcoholism since Oct. 1.

Foley originally checked into the Sierra Tucson rehab center for a monthlong program, but acquaintances report that the former congressman has decided to remain there. He hasn't said why he is continuing his treatment.

Foley is facing a federal investigation on his sexually explicit Internet messages to teenage former congressional pages. He resigned from Congress in September after public disclosure of the messages.

He later said through an attorney that he was an alcoholic and had been molested by a Catholic priest when he was a boy.

Foley reportedly sent messages to congressional pages while he was drinking.

So is it at all possible that Foley's alcoholism and alleged history of being sexually abused are excuses for his bad behavior?

Not exactly, experts say. Alcohol use and past traumas do not excuse bad behavior, although they can provide a partial explanation.

Experts also suggest that if any addict doesn't realize that his or her own behavior is inexcusable, he or she will never recover from his addiction.

Alcohol has measurable effects on sexual arousal and risk taking, according to the research.

A few drinks can increase the likelihood that a person will become the perpetrator or the victim of sexual assault, and can make a person more likely to have unprotected sex or to pursue some object of desire that would be taboo under more sober circumstances.

"When people are drinking, there is a loss of social inhibition," said Cory Silverberg, a sex educator and sexual media consultant. "After a few drinks, people are less likely to consider the long-term effects of what they're doing."

And if a few drinks can get you into some sex-related trouble, chronic alcohol abuse can be very destructive, Silverberg says.

For example, people who are chronic abusers of alcohol may have fewer long-term relationships, or may be less able to find or maintain sexual partners, and may find themselves alienated and alone.

Some say alcohol isn't the problem, it's the alcoholic.

Most people who pull risky stunts after a few drinks also likely engage in risky behaviors when sober, says Thomas Irwin, program director for the McClean Center at Fernside near Boston.